|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Cadillac Tools of Gardening By Melissa J Wantuck  |
| |
 We all know the basic tools you use when gardening: shovels, spades, wheel barrows, pruning shears. But then there are the Cadillac Tools of gardening aficionados, the tools that you don’t have to have, but make gardening a bit easier to manage if you have the money to invest in these tools.
Potting Bench
You can set up a potting bench just about anywhere around your home but a real, fancy-schmancy potting bench is a nifty thing to have. Built of wood, partically fine ones are cedar, a potting bench resembles a tool bench. A backsplash can be used for holding tools by containing either shelves or made of latticework or peg board for hanging the tools. The top of the potting bench has slats so excess potting soil can fall down into a container placed below the slats and collect there for reuse. A lower shelf holds larger potting supplies, (pots, bags of soil, fertilizer, etc.) and drawers in the top can be used for holding seed packets, bulbs, and any other smaller item that needs a secure place. Designs do vary but this describes the most common structure.
To get your own potting bench without investing in an expensive one, here are some ideas.
Use an old baby changing table that has two levels. Store your supplies on the bottom and use the top for potting. Place the changing table up against a wall and attach some nails or hooks to hang tools from. Use an old table the same way. Even though you don’t have a lower level, simply store large items beneath the table.
Build your own workbench to use as a potting bench by using plywood and two-by-fours. Here’s an example of free plans from Lowe’s for building one: www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=Build/Workbench
Gardening Shed
A gardening shed, or a potting shed, is a shed dedicated solely to gardening. You can set up your potting bench inside the shed and store all of your tools and garden-care products in there. Sizes and designs vary and some gardeners weave the shed in with their overall landscape design by painting the outside colors appropriate with their garden, adding decorative elements to it, and putting latticework on it so vine plants can grow on it. Another idea is putting little windows in the shed complete with beautifully maintained window boxes.
If you have a shed in your yard but you need it for storage, try to dedicate a section of it to gardening and concentrate on turning the outside into an extension of your garden.
Use a section of your garage if you don’t have a shed by turning the area where you store your gardening tools into a working area for all of your gardening needs.
Greenhouse
Greenhouses are one of the most useful tools of gardening because just having one means year-round plant care and cultivating your own plants from seeds particularly for northern gardeners. Greenhouses can be attached to your home or freestanding and sizes vary, depending on your needs.
The older glass and metal structures are hard to find and expensive to build. Some affordable greenhouses use plexi-glass or plastic over a basic frame and there’s always a large window in your home that receives a lot of sun.
You don’t need these tools to have a beautiful garden, but they sure are nice to have if you can get your hands on them.
|
|
 SafeQuote is the latest breakthrough in online shopping: for home improvement projects. It is a free tool that makes finding contractors an easy (even fun) experience. Site users can search for contractors from the member list or by job category, such as Landscaping, Roofing, Gutters, and more. You can also post jobs and receive no-obligation quotes to choose from. Click Here to Get Started
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|